Combustion apparatus



J. 0000. COMBUSTION APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I2. I91]- Patented Feb. 24,1920

l\ o v |e ere a! Jii UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN GOOD, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR. TO GOOD INVENTIONS (10., OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OENEW YORK.

comnusrron APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 24, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN G001), a United States citizen, and resident of Brooklyn, New York, have invented the following-described new and useful Improvements in Combustion Apparatus.

This invention is a heating device suited for the forced combustion of kerosene and like liquid fuels, adapted to ignite automatically and non-explosively and to burn continuously and fiercely in a confined space from which the flame may be conducted or directed to the part or parts to heated. The

fltinuous complete combustion may be invention also consists in the method of operating inclosed liquid fuel burners where by instant and reliable. ignition and conproduced as hereinafter explained. Although the invention is adaptable to a wide variety of uses, I have in mind particularly its use as the preliminaryheater for the vaporizer elements or passages'of internal combustion engines. In my Patent No. 1,207,897, issued December 12th, 1916', I have disclosed a heating device or burner in which an air nozzle is disposed in aspirating relation to an oil nozzle within the burner head and the atomized fuel spray produced by the opera tion of the two nozzles is intercepted by the two electrodes of an electric igniter and the spark between them ignites the fuel spray without initial or preliminary heating, sup plemental air being supplied to the resulting flame so as to support its combustion under a considerable velocity and within the confined .flame space. In apparatus of this type, the position of'the spark with reference to the axis of the; spray and the surrounding wall requires careful adjustment to insure reliable ignition of the wet, unvaporized spray of liquid, and especially in very cold weather.-

The objects of my present invention are to eliminate the need for specially delicate adjustments of the spray and spark in this and other types of burners and therebyto sim plify the manufacture of the burner ele:

ments, and also to improve the operation of the apparatus by electric motor and, also to improve the reliability of instant ignition under all conditions of temperature. I have discovered that these objects may be readily attained by providing. the apparatus with means whereby the delivery of the full volume'of combustion-supporting air is delayed her.

until after the lapse of a brief interval following the be inning of the atomization and ignition there y creating an initially overrich mixture of fuel and air for the purpose of ignition, and that means to this end ,may be embodied in a great variety of forms of which the form shown in the accompanying drawings ismerely a preferred example.

In these drawings,

' Figure 1 represents a burner'head and its operating system, in side elevation, a portion of the burner head being broken away;

Fig. '2 is a central section through the blower which supplies the combustion-supporting air;

1 Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionon the line IIIIII of Fig. 2, and

Fig. i is an enlarged section on the line IV,IV of Fig. 1. v v

The particular form of apparatus selected for illustration in the accompanying drawings is, in many respects, similar to that illustrated in my prior patent above referred to. A positive blower 10, for instance in the form of a gear pump, and a fan blower 11 deliver air through pipes 12 and 13, respectively, to the burner head 14. The pipe 12 delivers to an air nozzle 15 in aspiratin re-' lation to a liquid fuel'nozzle 16, where y a fuel spray is produced axially of the cham- The liquid fuel nozzle; 16 delivers liquid fuelfrom a float chamber 17 supplied by pipe 18. The fuel may be kerosene or, heavier or lighter oils. Beyond the sprayozzle 15 and directly in the path ofthe spray is an electric igniter, and illustrated as I including two opposed electrodes 19 spaced apart and connected in an electric circuit for ;v the passage of a spark therebetween. The ends of these electrodesare shown haple- "shaped so that drops of liquid impinging thereon will drain away from the spark gap between them and avoid danger of shortcircuiting by liquid. Y The combustion-supporting air enters through the entrance chamber. 20 located justbeyond the igniter and is distributed into contact with the ignited spray by means of radially disposed partitions'fll in substantially axial alinement with the chamher and generally'central thereof. The combustion air enters tangentially from the supply conduit 13 leading from the, fan

ivered from the burner .blower 11, and supports the combustion so I that the flame '.is e

or flame-generating part to the flame tube 23 which maybe the part to be heated or may lead to such art.

is driven by a small electric motor 25, The

. relative rotation of the nut and the rotor igniter may be operated either from a megneto which is driven by or started sim taneously with the starting of the drive shaft 24, or it ma be connectedto a coil 26 (conventionally illustrated) and so connected to a battery that the closing of a switch or circuit 28 starts both the motor and. the igniter.

The details of construction of the various parts so far described are not essential to my present invention although they involve important features claimed in my prior patents.

'In apparatus using two separate blowers, one for the atomizing and the other for the combustion-supporting air, the desired delayed admission of the latter air may be secured by means whereby the fan blower, does not-begin to operate, or does not operate with full efliciency,'for a short interval after the positive blower and igniter have began operation and such delayed blower action may be secured through a lost motion connection between the rotor of the fan and the source of power. I have illustrated a blower having an axial inlet 31 and a spiral peri heral passage 32 terminating in a tangentlal outlet 33 leading to the pipe 13.

Within the casing is the rotor 34. Merely as an example of a. suitable lost 'motioncon nection, I have shown the rotor loose on the shaft 24 but connected thereto by a nut 35 mounted on a threaded portion 36 of the shaft between twogabutment stops 37, 37, and one or more pins or rods 38 preventing but permitting limited, relative axial movement therebetween.

When the shaft 24, which'is connected to the armature shaft of the motor, begins rotating, the rotor of the blower, by reason of its inertia, will either remain at rest or lag behind to such an extent that no efficient immediately results. This relative rotation of the shaft and rotor screws the nut 35 along the shaft until it abuts against one of the stops 37 which prevents further axial movement of the nut and likewise prevents further relative rotation so that continued rotation of the shaft 24' then drives the rotor as though fixed to it.

When the motor stops, the inertia of the blower rotor, which is of larger diameter than the armature of the motor continues it in rotation after the slowing down or'stopping of the motor and thereby operates to screw the nut 35 back toward the other stop 37. The rotor may be weighted at its peor normalproportions suited for steady efficient combustion. It willbe evident moreover, that means other than lost motion connections between the blower and the source of power will also result in delaying or retarding the delivery of the normal proportions of fuel and air and produce the'eflfect above described, and will necessarily be employed when the burner is operated by a single source of-air pressure to supply. both nozzles. All such devices whether represented by the means herein illustrated or a other means havin the purpose and effect of making the com usti'ble mixture initially over-rich for ignition, are means for controlling the relative proportions of fuel and air in the mixture within the burner and are included as such in the following-claims.-

I claim:

1. Combustion apparatus burning liquid fuel comprising a device for producing and delivering a mixture of said fuel and air, and an electric igniter, means. for setting said device and igniter in action, and means automatically operating tomake said mixture initially rich in fuel and later less rich. i

2. Closed combustion apparatus comprisa closed flame passage, means for deliver1ng liquid fuel thereto and means for creating an air flowtherethrough in proportion to produce substantially complete combusignition and continuous combustion including a device for controlling the initial proportions of fuel and air operating to produce v a relatively rich and readily ignitible mixture when said apparatus is set in action.

4'. Combustion apparatus comprising means for delivering fuel and air, means for igniting the same and a single control member adapted to set both said means in action,

in combination with means acting to produce a mixture of said fuel and air initially rich and later less rich.

5-. Closed combustion apparatus compriswhereby it is suppli ing a closed flame (passage having means and combustion-su porting air in proportion to produce continuous combustion in the passage, and means automatically functionmg to establish an initially over-rich mixture of fuel and air in' said passage to facilitate'i ition.

6. he combination of a combustion apparatus supplied with fuel and combustionsupporting air and having an electric igniter, with means for delaying the supply of combustion-supporting air until after theing-air, and. means for operatin said nozzle prior to ,the delivery of air t rough said mlet.

, 9. In combination, a combustion chamber,

'apair of blowers, a source of. power for operating both of said blowers, means for delivering-air. from one of said blowers to atomize liquid fuel within said combustion chamber, means for delivering air from the other of said blowers to su port combustion within said combustion chamber, and lost motion connections between said source of power and said second mentioned. blower whereby one blower operates in' advance o the other upon the application of power from saidsource. a

. 10, In combination, an electric motor, a

with liquid fuel spray air in" positive-pressure blower directly connected thereto, a fan blower having delayed driving connection thereto, means for atomizing liquid fuel by the delivery of air from said pressure blower, and means for delivering combustion supporting air to the atomi fuel from said fan blower.

11. Closed combustion apparatus comprising a closed flame passage, means for normally supplying it with liquid fuel and air in proportions to, burn continuously in said passage, an igniter and a common operating member for said means and the igniter, in combination with means for automatically increasing the relative proportion of fuel in saidi passage when said member is first opera 12. The method of operating inclosed liquid fuel burners which consists in producing continuous flows of liquid fuel and combustion-supporting air into a closed flame passage, initially controlling the proportions of fuel and air insuch flows to create a mix ture therein which is sufficiently rich in fuel to be readily ignitible by electric spark, ig-

niting such mixture by a spark within said closed passage and thereafter changing the proportions'to render the mixture in the passage less rich in fuel.

13. The method of operating inclosed liquid fuel combustion a paratus, which consists in initially establis ing therein flows offuel spray and air in relative proportions constituting a mixture having less air than will support complete combustion in said apparatus, igniting said mixture within the apparatus, and thereupon establishing and maintaining therein, flows of fuel spray and roportions constituting a mixture ada to urn with substantially complete c m ustion in said apparatus.

In testimony whereof I have signed this s ification. t.

pee J OHN GOOD. 

